[3] Tanbur, a Persian word, is according to some scholars derived from the Sumerian pan tur, meaning "little bow".

It is considered that the tambouras' ancestor is the ancient Greek pandouris, also known as pandoura, pandouros or pandourida (πανδουρίς, πανδούρα, πάνδουρος), from which the word is derived.

The tambouras is mentioned in the Byzantine epic of Digenis Akritas, when the hero plays his θαμπούριν, thambourin (medieval form of tambouras): Και αφότου αποδείπνησεν, εμπαίνει εις το κουβούκλιν και επήρεν το θαμπούριν του και αποκατάστησέν το.

The word ταμπουράς comes from Turkish tambur from Arabic ṭanbūr or Persian tunbūra.

[4][5] The tambouras is a long-neck fretted instrument of the lute family,[1] close to Turkish saz and the Persian tanbur.